Robots Return to the Great Pyramid

According an Independent
Online article, chief Egyptian archaeologist Zahi Hawass will be
using a robot designed by the University of Singapore to ascend a narrow
shaft within the
Great Pyramid. It is hoped the robot will solve the 4,500 year old
mystery of whether or not "a secret burial chamber contains the real
tomb of pharaoh Cheops". You may remember our reports in August and September of 2002 on the
American robot that crawled 200ft up the shaft only to find its way
blocked by a
stone slab. This time, the robot is preprared to drill its way through
the rock. Other
robots explored the pyramid as far back as 1992. The new robot is
part of the Tomb Trekker project and includes a micro robotic arm for
sampling and handling tasks. A few details are available in a University
of Singapore document
(PDF format).